Nutrition in Addiction Recovery: What Clinicians Recommend.

A good nutritious diet is important for everyone. When you are recovering from a serious illness it becomes even more so. Addiction is a very serious illness that requires just as much recovery as you would expect after major surgery or a stroke. It matters not if you are caught up in addiction over a period of years or months: The damage can be the same. Restoring nutritional balance is crucial to helping the body to recovery, and understanding nutrition in addiction recovery can significantly aid this process.

Here at Find Me a Rehab we have expert addictions clinicians who provide Free 24 Hour Rehab Advice. This is a completely free service and available to all. If you are looking for Free Clinician Drug Advice on any aspect of Alcohol and Drug Treatment call us.

Nutrition in addiction recovery

How Substance Abuse Disrupts Nutrition

All drugs and alcohol have specific effects on someone’s state of health. Some also impeded the ability of the body to absorb nutrients from food which can seriously impact on recovery. While everyone who uses drugs and alcohol experiences different things, there are some common signs and symptoms when it comes to health:

• Poor appetite: Some substances can lead to someone not eating at all while others supress the appetite.
• Unhealthy food choices: When you are caught up in the madness of addiction, making sensible healthy food choices becomes less important. It is not uncommon for someone in the ravages of addiction to live off fast food or crisps.
• Gastrointestinal disorders: Certain drugs, and especially alcohol, will stop the body absorbing nutrients from food which can lead to serious medical complications, even fatality.
• Organ damage: Drugs and alcohol can damage, even stop some organs working.

Alcohol and Nutrition

When someone is alcohol dependent, making sensible food choices is not the top of the list of priorities. The need to drink overrides everything. Eating can be very uncomfortable due to the damage done to the body by alcohol. The glucose in alcohol can prevent the body absorbing Vitamin B which can lead to brain damage and fatality. Alcohol can also seriously damage the pancreas and the liver. It is not uncommon for those who are heavily dependent on alcohol to need organ transplants due to the damage caused by alcohol.

Opioids and Nutrition

Trying to live with an opioid use disorder will get in the way of leading a healthy lifestyle. Opioid dependency leads to excessive dopamine production which will supress appetite. While food is available from shops and home delivery, opioids, if used illegally, are more difficult to source and will take priority. It is not uncommon for someone who is opioid dependent to eat only one or two meals a day or to put off eating so as to avoid opioid intoxication. Thus, the road of nutrition in an addiction recovery context becomes crucial.

Opioids cause constipation: Fact. This can become very uncomfortable. The only cure is to stop opioid user and eat more fibre. Forget the urban legend that Methadone (opioid substitution treatment) rots your teeth: It doesn’t.

Stimulants and Nutrition

Cocaine and other stimulants give people boundless energy. Often they will go on a “binge” which can last for days. Food takes a backseat when this happens. This means that they will lack vitamins and nutrients and can become dehydrated.

Stimulant use can lead to depression, anxiety, hypothermia, sudden weight loss and muscle wasting. It can also affect mental functioning. When someone stops taking stimulants they may start overeating which may lead to re-feeding syndrome (an overload of proteins) that can cause a medical emergency. Considering nutrition in one’s recovery from addiction is critical to managing these effects. Addiction affects the family, as it does the individual: A family member being constantly missing from mealtimes can be a tell tale sign.

Here at Find Me a Rehab we have expert addictions clinicians who provide Free 24 Hour Rehab Advice. This is a completely free service and available to all. If you are looking for Free Clinician Drug Advice on any aspect of Alcohol and Drug Treatment call us.

Cannabis and Nutrition

It has long been known that cannabis can increase someone’s appetite: The infamous munchies. While cannabis can be useful for managing long term conditions, it often leads to poor food choices such as take away foods. This can lead to hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol).

Nutrition in addiction recovery

How Nutrients Affect the Body

Current scientific evidence shows that there are six different food groups that nutritionists consider essential. These can be subdivided into micro and macro nutrients: Macro are those that need to be eaten, daily, in large quantities whereas micro are equally as important but you don’t need as many. Vitamins are micronutrients. There are 13 different vitamins, some are water soluble while some are fat soluble. It is essential that all 13 are consumed so that the body can function. There are six minerals which are equally as important. Therefore, focusing on nutrition in addiction recovery can accelerate the healing process.

Protein

These are the building blocks for the body. Usually connected with muscle building, they are also found in every cell, even in hair! Some can be formed by the body itself, but most need to be consumed in food.

Fat and Fatty Acids

Not all fats are bad: A certain amount of fat is essential and your body can not absorb vitamins and minerals without fats. Without a sufficient level of fat, your blood sugar regulation becomes affected, as does muscle function, your immune system and even your brain.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are also shunned by many, so-called, experts on nutrition, but are absolutely essential for the body to function. Indeed, in the USA, national guidelines are that up to 65% of daily calorific intake should be carbohydrate, highlighting an important aspect of nutrition during recovery from addiction.

Nutrition in addiction recovery

Neuroplasticity

The brain’s ability to form new connections, and to fix existing ones. This is essential when the body responds to injury, illness and disease. In addiction, the brain alters its pathways due to the presence of alcohol and drugs. This means that becoming, and staying abstinent, is actually alien to the brain’s functioning. Addiction disrupts the connections between different areas of the brain. Good nutrition can help to repair this. One example is carbohydrates: Serotonin is produced by carbs. Your mood, sleep pattern and alcohol/drug cravings are all regulated by serotonin, making nutrition in addiction recovery a foundational part of healing.

Nutrition in rehab

Part of the pre-admission assessment covers nutrition and this is also discussed with the admitting clinician. The chef will be consulted/informed should any specific issues be identified (in the strictest of confidence). Most centers have a consultant dietician if needed and, on occasion, blood tests can be part of the admission process.

Nutrition in addiction recovery

Maintaining good nutrition after rehab

All centers offer a minimum of a year’s aftercare. Checking in with your therapist, or clinician, on your nutritional status is just as important as staying abstinent, highlighting the continued importance of focusing on nutrition in addiction recovery.

Here at Find Me a Rehab we have expert addictions clinicians who provide Free 24 Hour Rehab Advice. This is a completely free service and available to all. If you are looking for Free Clinician Drug Advice on any aspect of Alcohol and Drug Treatment call us.

Recent Posts